Johnathan Joseph says the Bengals limited how much Gatorade players could have

When players leave the Bengals organization, they are happy to get away from what has ultimately been a losing environment. In his first five NFL seasons, Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph was stuck in Cincinnati. The team finished with a winning record only twice during that span and failed to win a playoff game. Last year, Joseph was able to escape to Houston and join a contender. In fact, his new team beat his old squad in the opening round of the playoffs. But Joseph was thrilled to get away for reasons that span beyond wins and losses.

“The first thing about Houston is it’s an organization run from a different perspective,” he said during an interview with HeraldOnline.com. “In Cincy, the team lives off money it earns from football. Houston’s owner has other business interests and he controls the money. Numerous things that go on such as the way Houston interacts with my family; we’re treated in a first-class way. They helped us when my wife lost our baby daughter in a miscarriage.

“But they help with anything you ask of them because they are a very caring organization with positive attitudes about its players. In Cincy, we’re told how much Gatorade we could take home. In Houston we get what we request. You get soap and deodorant at your request. You don’t have a roommate on road trips.”

Professional athletes love being pampered, and it sounds like Cincy is not the place to be if you want first-class treatment. Those of you who have seen the movie “Moneyball” are probably thinking about how the A’s charged $1 for soda in the clubhouse — something that supposedly irritated the players. Clearly, it is not just the fans on their death bed who dislike the Bengals organization.